大象传媒

The war had finished and I was waiting to be demobbed,it was about 1946 I had got leave and had come home.My mother said to me "what do you think?" I said "what",she said my brother was stationed at wandstead flats near epping forest,I said "how long has he been down there?" only a few days she said.I said I would pop over and see him,she didn't exspect me home and he didn't know either.
Anyway I got on a bus to wandstead flats,the other side of chingford.
I get over there and asked a couple of soldiers where the camps were,they told me to go down this road to the bottom,near the flats were these barracks and POW camp (Italians)so I told the sergeant,the guard on the gate my brothers name,the guard said "yes,I know him,he's a sergeant",I said yes I heard that too,its surprising because he wasn't a very good soldier."no" he said,"they gave him the stripes to keep him on the straight and narrow,so to speak"
So I said to him,"where is he then?",he said he's in charge of 20 Italian prisoners.He gave me the directions as to where he was,he said that he had 20 prisoners digging a trench along side a road,looking at the pipeworks or something.I said I would pop down there,I went marching off down there when I spotted my brother,I hadn't seen him for two and a half years,we fell into each others arms.He said to me "come on lets go down the pub!",this was about 12 o clock mid day,I said "yes alright but you can't leave your prisoners"He told me they would be alright,so we looked down this trench,there was one Italian down there called Alfonzo,my brother said "hey Alfonzo,look after your mates,we won't be long,this is my brother by the way,we will be about an hour,look after your mates for me","Yes" he said,we will be alright,I'll look after them.
So my brother and I went down the pub,we were down there about one and a half hours,so I said to my brother,we had better get back to your prisoners,if you loose that lot you will be in alot of bother,he said "No, Alfonzo will look after them all,he knows I'm coming back"So I said to him "shall we have another pint here?"He said "No" he wanted to go to Streatham Ice rink.Ok then if you really want to go then but don't forget them prisoners!don't worry he said Alfonzo will take them back.I said to him he was stupid but he wasn't worried.
We both went down streatham ice rink,we were both skating away,some woman knocked him down and ran his fingers over,there was another woman wrapping peoples fingers up with bandages,we had a right laugh down there, that I forgot the time,it was getting about 5 or 6 at night,I said to my brother,"what about your prisoners?" He said "Oh they'll be alright but I had better get back now though.
We got back on the bus,I left him at the top of his road because I had to go back to finchley.
When I got home the next thing I heard was my mum had got a message from my brother,one of his soldiers had come down to see her,he said "you know your boy,the military police and red caps and people from our mob have been out all night,he'd left all the prisoners and they had all disappeared,he said ,only one came back and that was Alfonzo. I laughed,he said,Yes we are still looking for them,some of them had gone down the west end,they were all looking around piccadilly and seeing the sights,he said.There was two hitch hiking up the great north road,he said they were all over the place.He said my brother will be in alot of bother for this,when he comes back but my brother was already back,he said he would be court marshalled and Co's orders.
But he got his stripes took away and 28 days for it.......

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